Roller assembly

ABSTRACT

A roller assembly consisting of a roller element rotatably mounted on a pair of tapered roller bearings, each bearing being in turn supported on one of a pair of bearing retainers held in axially spaced assembled relationship by a spacer member which also defines a minimum axial separation between the inner, or cone elements of the roller bearings so that the roller assembly can be securely mounted on an axle passing through the bearing retainers without effecting a proper clearance adjustment of the roller bearings. The spacer is made as a longitudinally slotted tube and is expanded in assembly into gripping engagement with cylindrical surfaces on the pair of bearing retainers, which surfaces also support the bearing cones; and, the slot in the tube also provides communication with a lubricant reservoir formed between the tube and the inner diameter of the roller element and extending between the pair of roller bearings.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,762,784

Pachuta v 1451 Oct.2, 1973 l 54 l ROLLER ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: MartinPachuta, Allen Park, Mich. [57] ABSTRACT A roller assembly consisting ofa roller element rotat- [73] Asslgnee' sl Webb Company Daron ablymounted on a pair of tapered roller bearings, each bearing being in turnsupported on one of a pair of [22] Filed: June 19, 1972 bearingretainers held in axially spaced assembled relationship by a spacermember which also defines a mini- [21] Appl' 264380 mum axial separationbetween the inner, or cone elements of the roller bearings so that theroller assembly [52] US. Cl. 308/207 Ca be securely mounted on an axlepassing through [51 1 int. Cl. Fl6c 43/04 h ing r in r wi h effe ing apr per cl r [58] Field of Search 308/207, 189, 207.1, n j men f h r ll rb ring The pac r i 308/289 1 made as a longitudinally slotted tube andis expanded in assembly into gripping engagement with cylindrical [56]References Cited surfaces on the pair of bearing retainers, whichsurfaces UNITED STATES PATENTS also support the bearing cones; and, theslot in the tube 7 also provides communication with a lubricantreservoir l,368,4l0 2/1921 Pratt 308/207 R formed between the tube andthe inner diameter of the Primary Examiner chafles J. Myhre rollerelement and extending between the pair of roller Assistant ExaminerFrankSusko bearings' v Att0rney-Farley, Forster & Farley 10 Claims, 2 DrawingFigures l -40 /O 34 3Q 23 46 j f l /6 l l 44' =5 l l 9; 46 j l i 2 36 lI 20 515' A I I Jo I I /l l Z ROLLER ASSEMBLY SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to an improved construction for a roller assemblywhich includes a roller element rotatably mounted on a pair of taperedroller bearings. Such a roller assembly may, for example, be employed toguide a conveyor chain.

Satisfactory operation and service life of a roller assembly of thistype depends upon the proper and rather precise definition of clearancesfor the tapered roller bearings, the proper lubrication thereof, and theexclusion of dirt from the bearings by properly functioning seals.

The present invention provides a roller assembly, of relatively simpleconstruction, in which the positioning and adjustment of a pair ofroller bearings, and the positioning of seals therefor, is establishedand defined by the manufacture and assembly of the component parts, andthe relationship between these parts is not effected by the skill andexperience of the person who installs the assembly. Adequate lubricationis also provided at the time of manufacture, with optional provision forfurther lubrication during the service life of the assembly, wheredesired.

The roller assembly of the invention is adapted to be mounted on an axleand has a rotatable element supported by a pair of tapered rollerbearings, each roller bearing including a cone, a cup and a plurality oftapered rollers. The improvements of the invention include the provisionof an axial bore in the rotatable element and a counterbored recess ateach end of the bore to define a pair of oppositely facing shoulders.Each recess receives the cup of one of the roller bearings, and therecess shoulders define the axial spacing between the bearing cups. Apair of bearing cone retainers each have an axle mounting bore and aconcentric cylindrical outer surface receiving the cone of one of theroller bearings against a radial abutment surface, with the radialabutment surfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers facing eachother. A cylindrical tubular spacer member is mounted on the cylindricalouter surfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers, the spacer memberabutting and extending between the cones of the roller bearings tomaintain a minimum axial separation therebetween and also between thebearing cone retainers. This spacer member is secured to the pair ofbearing cone retainers and holds the component parts of the assembly inassembled relationship.

Preferably, the tubular spacer member is formed with a slot extendingfrom end-to-end through the side wall thereof and with an internaldiameter less than the diameter of the cylindrical outer surfaces of thebearing cone retainers. This slotted construction of the spacer memberpermits it to be expanded into frictional gripping engagement with thecylindrical outer surfaces of the bearing cone retainers, and the slotfurther provides a passage to a lubricant reservoir formed between theouter surface of the tubular spacer member and the inner surface of thebore in the rotatable element. The lubricant reservoir extends axiallybetween the roller bearings, and additional lubricant can be supplied tothe reservoir during the service life of the roller assembly through alubricant passage in the axle on which the assembly is mounted.

Improved bearing seals each include an annular backing member having aresilient sealing member secured thereto. The backing member ispress-fitted within one of the recesses of the rotatable element to aposition in which the sealing member extends radially inwardly intosealing contact with both the adjacent bearing cone and cone retainer.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of the presently preferred embodiment thereofillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of a rollerassembly constructed in accordance with the invention, shown mounted onan axle between a pair of supporting frame bars; and,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail showing the construction andmounting of a bearing seal used in the roller assembly of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The roller assembly 10 shown inFIG. 1 is installed between a pair of frame bars 11 and 12, beingmounted on a bolt 14 passing through the frame bars and serving as anaxle. This installation is typical of that employed for rollers whichguide a chain along a portion of a conveyor. For example, in an overheadtrolley conveyor, a series of such roller assemblies may be used tomaintain the chain in vertical alignment with a curved section of track.I

The roller assembly 10 consists of a rotatable element or roller 16, apair of tapered roller bearings 18 and 20, a pair of bearing retainers22 and 24, a spacer 26 and a pair of bearing seals 28. Each of theroller bearings 18 and 20 is of conventional construction and includes acup 30, a cone 31 and a plurality of tapered v rollers 32.

An axial bore 34 is formed in the roller 16, and a counterbored recess35 at each end of the bore 34 defines a pair of oppositely facingshoulders 36. Each bearing cup 30 is pressed within one of the recesses35 into abutment with the recess shoulder 36 so that the shoulders 36define the axial spacing between the bearing cups.

Each of the bearing cone retainers 22 and 24 has a bore 38 for mountingon the axle bolt 14, and has a cylindrical outer surface 40 terminatingin a radial abutment surface 41 formed as part of-an enlarged outer endportion 42 of each of the bearing cone retainers. The cone 31 of eachrollerbearing l8 and 20 is received with a press fit on the outercylindrical surface 40 of one of the bearing cone retainers 22 and 24and engages the radial abutment surface 41 thereof.

The spacer 26 is of cylindrical tubular configuration,

is formed with a slot 44 extending from end-to-end I thereof, and ismounted on the cylindrical outer surfaces 40 of the bearing coneretainers with the ends of the spacer abutting the cones 31 of theroller bearings 18 and 20 to thereby maintain a minimum axial separa'tion between the bearing cones and also between the bearing coneretainers. The spacer is also secured to the bearing cone retainers 22and 24, as by a press fit, and thus holds the components of the assemblytogether. In the preferred construction shown, the spacer 26 is madewith an internal diameter slightly less than the diameter of thecylindrical outer surfaces 40 of the bearing cone retainers. Whenassembled thereon,

which operation is facilitated by the provision of chamfered surfaces 46on the facing ends of the retainers 22 and 24, the slotted constructionpermits the spacer to expand into frictional gripping engagement withthe cylindrical outer surfaces 40.

The outer surface 48 of the spacer 26 is separated radially from theinternal surface 34 of the roller 16 to provide an annular lubricantreservoir extending axially between the bearings 18 and 20, and the slot44 in the spacer serves to provide a passage communicating with thisreservoir. This enables the roller bearings 18 and 20 to be lubricatedinternally at the time the roller assembly is manufactured; also,lubricant may be supplied to the roller assembly during the service lifethereof by using a standard form of the axle bolt 14 provided with alubricant passage 50 and fitting 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the bearing seals 28 consists of a backingmember 54 and a resilient sealing member 56. The backing member 54 isformed with an axially extending flange 58 press fitted within therecess 35 of the roller 16, and with an inwardly projecting portion 60which overlaps the end of the adjacent bearing cone 3]. The sealingmember 58 has a pair of sealing projections or lips 62 and 64 whichextend radially inwardly, the lip 62 contacting the adjacent bearingcone 3] and the lip 64 making sealing contact with the end portion 42 ofthe adjacent bearing cone retainers 22 or 24.

If the roller assembly is used under dusty or dirty conditions, theefficiency and life of the bearing seals, particularly the upper seal ina vertical axis installation such as shown, may be increased byemploying a dust cap 66 which is positioned by the axle bolt 14 on theend 42 of the upper bearing cone retainer 22 and extends intooverlapping relation with the roller 16 outwardly from the adjacentroller bearing 18.

It will be appreciated that the roller assembly 10 is relativelyinexpensive to manufacture and simple to assemble. Precise adjustment ofthe tapered roller bearings 18 and 20 is readily defined by thedimensioning of the shoulders 36 at the ends of the counterbored portionof the roller 16 and by the longitudinal dimension of the spacer 26.When the spacer is assembled onto the cylindrical surfaces 40 of thebearing cone retainers 22 and 24, the desired adjustment of the rollerbearings is set and will not be disturbed by the installation operationof inserting and tightening the axle bolt 14. The spacer 26 also servesas a retainer to hold the component parts in properly assembled relationprior to installation, and forms part of the lubricant reservoir andlubrication system for the bearings 18 and 20. The precise positioningof the parts and adjustment of the roller bearings pennits the use ofthe improved seals 28 and insures proper sealing contact of the dualsealing lips 62 and 64 with the bearing cones 31 and bearing coneretainers 22 and 24, which elements are stationary when the rollerassembly is in use.

I claim:

I. A roller assembly adapted to be mounted on an axle and having arotatable element supported by a pair of tapered roller bearings, eachroller bearing including a cone, a cup and a plurality of taperedrollers; wherein:

the rotatable element is provided with an axial bore and a counterboredrecess at each end thereof defining a pair of oppositely facingshoulders, each recess receiving the cup of one of the roller bearings,and the recess shoulders defining the axial spacing between the bearingcups;

pair of bearing cone retainers each have an axle mounting bore and aconcentric cylindrical outer surface receiving the cone of one of theroller bearings against a radial abutment surface, with the radialabutment surfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers facing eachother;

cylindrical tubular spacer member is mounted on the cylindrical outersurfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers, the spacer memberabutting and extending between the cones of the roller bearings tomaintain a minimum axial separation therebetween and between the bearingcone retainers; and,

the spacer member is secured to the pair of bearing cone retainerswhereby the spacer member holds the bearing cone retainers in assembledrelationship.

2. A roller assembly according to claim 1 wherein the tubular spacermember is separated radially from the internal surface of the axial boreof the rotatable element to provide an annular lubricant reservoirextending axially between the roller bearings.

3. A roller assembly according to claim 2 wherein the tubular spacermember is provided with a passage communicating with said reservoir.

4. A roller assembly according to claim 3 wherein the passage is formedby a slot cut in the side wall of the tubular spacer member andextending from end-to-end thereof.

5. A roller assembly according to claim 4 wherein the tubular spacermember is formed with an internal diameter less than the diameter of thecylindrical outer surface of the bearing cone retainers, the slotpermitting the tubular spacer member to be expanded and secured t0 thepair of bearing cone retainers by gripping engagement with thecylindrical outer surfaces thereof.

6. A roller assembly according to claim 1 wherein the spacer member issecured to the pair of bearing cone retainers by frictional engagementtherebetween.

7. A roller assembly according to claim 6 wherein the tubular spacermember is formed with a slot extending from end-to-end through the sidewall thereof and with an internal diameter less than the diameter of thecylindrical outer surfaces of the bearing cone retainers, the slotpermitting the tubular spacer member to be expanded into frictionalgripping engagement with said cylindrical outer surfaces.

8. A roller assembly according to claim 7 wherein the tubular spacermember is separated radially from the internal surface of the bore ofthe rotatable element to provide an annular, lubricant reservoirextending axially between the roller bearings, with the slot in thetubular spacer member providing a passage communicating with thereservoir and with a lubricant passage in the axle on which the rollerassembly is mounted.

9. A roller assembly according to claim 1 further comprising a pair ofbearing seals each having an annular backing member adapted to be pressfitted within one of the recesses of the rotatable element and aresilient member secured to the backing member, the resilient memberhaving a pair of sealing projections extending radially inwardly, oneprojection being adapted to make sealing contact with the adjacentbearing cone and the other projection being adapted to make sealingcontact with the adjacent bearing cone retainer.

10. A roller assembly according to claim 9 further including a capadapted to be positioned on the end of one of the bearing cone retainersand overlapping the rotatable element radially outward from the adjacentbearing.

1. A roller assembly adapted to be mounted on an axle and having a rotatable element supported by a pair of tapered roller bearings, each roller bearing including a cone, a cup and a plurality of tapered rollers; wherein: the rotatable element is provided with an axial bore and a counterbored recess at each end thereof defining a pair of oppositely facing shoulders, each recess receiving the cup of one of the roller bearings, and the recess shoulders defining the axial spacing between the bearing cups; a pair of bearing cone retainers each have an axle mounting bore and a concentric cylindrical outer surface receiving the cone of one of the roller bearings against a radial abutment surface, with the radial abutment surfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers facing each other; a cylindrical tubular spacer member is mounted on the cylindrical outer surfaces of the pair of bearing cone retainers, the spacer member abutting and extending between the cones of the roller bearings to maintain a minimum axial separation therebetween and between the bearing cone retainers; and, the spacer member is secured to the pair of bearing cone retainers whereby the spacer member holds the bearing cone retainers in assembled relationship.
 2. A roller assembly according to claim 1 wherein the tubular spacer member is separated radially from the internal surface of the axial bore of the rotatable element to provide an annular lubricant reservoir extending axially between the roller bearings.
 3. A roller assembly according to claim 2 wherein the tubular spacer member is provided with a passage communicating with said reservoir.
 4. A roller assembly according to claim 3 wherein the passage is formed by a slot cut in the side wall of the tubular spacer member and extending from end-to-end thereof.
 5. A roller assembly according to claim 4 wherein the tubular spacer member is formed with an internal diameter less than the diameter of the cylindrical outer surface of the bearing cone retainers, the slot permitting the tubular spacer member to be expanded and secured to the pair of bearing cone retainers by gripping engagement with the cylindrical outer surfaces thereof.
 6. A roller assembly according to claim 1 wherein the spacer member is secured to the pair of bearing cone retainers by frictional engagement therebetween.
 7. A roller assembly according to claim 6 wherein the tubular spacer member is formed with a slot extending from end-to-end through the side wall thereof and with an internal diameter less than the diameter of the cylindrical outer surfaces of the bearing cone retainers, the slot permitting the tubular spacer member to be expanded into frictional gripping engagement with said cylindrical outer surfaces.
 8. A roller assembly according to claim 7 wherein the tubular spacer member is separated radially from the internal surface of the bore of the rotatable element to provide an annular, lubricant reservoir extending axially between the roller bearings, with the slot in the tubular spacer member providing a passage communicating with the reservoir and with a lubricant passage in the axle on which the roller assembly is mounted.
 9. A roller assembly according to claim 1 further comprising a pair of bearing seals each having an annular backing member adapted to be press fitted within one of the recesses of the rotatable element and a resilient member secured to the backing member, the resilient member having a pair of sealing projections extending radially inwardly, one projection being adapted to make sealing contact with the adjacent bearing cone and the other projection being adapted to make sealing contact with the adjacent bearing cone retainer.
 10. A roller assembly according to claim 9 further including a cap adapted to be positioned on the end of one of the bearing cone retainers and overlapping the rotatable element radially outward from the adjacent bearing. 